Windward Fund
Project Title
As a final grant for core support of the Heartland Fund, a funder collaborative working to strengthen civic engagement in rural communities
Date
Dec. 12, 2024
Duration
24 months
Description
Rural communities across the United States continue to experience the challenging effects of decades of political and philanthropic underinvestment and inattention. One result is that rural residents are more likely than their urban and suburban counterparts to feel that candidates and elected leaders are not looking out for people like them. Residents of rural and small-city counties also vote at lower rates relative to the rest of the population. Launched in 2018 under the auspices of the Windward Fund at Arabella Advisors, the Heartland Fund enables national and regional funders to invest in a diverse rural organizing network that advances policy solutions and media narratives that benefit rural communities. With renewed Corporation support for its nonpartisan voting program, the Heartland Fund will invest in groups that expand nonpartisan civic participation, bridge divides, and strengthen democracy in rural communities across the nation.
Website
Project Title
For core support of the Heartland Fund, a funder collaborative working to strengthen civic engagement in rural communities
Date
Dec. 08, 2022
Duration
24 months
Description
For more than forty years, rural America has been largely ignored in its struggles with growing systemic challenges, including lack of access to quality healthcare and education, persistent poverty, corporate disinvestment, infrastructure decline, environmental degradation, and political dysfunction. The inequities have been especially pronounced among rural communities of color. Launched in 2018 under the auspices of the Windward Fund, the Heartland Fund is a national funder collaborative dedicated to investing in rural civic engagement infrastructure. This entails building permanent civic engagement, issue advocacy, communications, and organizing capacity in rural areas of the United States, including in small cities and towns. With Corporation support, the Heartland Fund will continue to increase philanthropic investment in rural civic engagement and recalibrate the political narratives around power and issue-based organizing in rural communities.
Website
Project Title
For core support of the Heartland Fund and its efforts to strengthen civic engagement in rural communities
Date
Sep. 02, 2021
Duration
15 months
Description
For more than forty years, rural America has been largely ignored in its struggles with growing systemic challenges, including lack of access to quality healthcare and education, persistent poverty, corporate disinvestment, infrastructure decline, environmental degradation, and political dysfunction. The inequities have been especially pronounced among rural communities of color. Launched in 2018 under the auspices of the Windward Fund, the Heartland Fund is a national funder collaborative dedicated to investing in rural civic engagement infrastructure. This entails building permanent civic engagement, issue advocacy, communications, and organizing capacity in rural areas of the United States, including in small cities and towns. With Corporation support, the Heartland Fund will continue to increase philanthropic investment in rural civic engagement and recalibrate the political narratives around power and issue-based organizing in rural communities.
Website
Project Title
For core support of the Heartland Fund and its efforts to increase civic engagement in rural communities
Date
Jun. 04, 2020
Duration
12 months
Description
Civic engagement funders disproportionately focus their resources on urban communities, issues, and policies. Yet rural America faces major systemic challenges, including lack of access to quality healthcare and education, corporate disinvestment, wealth inequality, infrastructure decline, environmental degradation, and political dysfunction. Housed at the Windward Fund, the Heartland Fund was launched in 2018 to address rural communities’ need for sustained philanthropic investment. While initially only funding in the Midwest, the Heartland Fund now supports projects across the country, including Native American voter engagement in the West and Southwest and rural Black civic engagement in the South. With Corporation support, the Heartland Fund will convene rural leaders from across the country and supportdiverse groups in rural organizing and civic engagement.